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Toronto Metropolitan University Health Data

At Student Wellbeing, we are always looking for the most efficient and effective ways to serve our students. Collection and monitoring of reliable student data enables us to understand, first hand, the significant health priorities of this population and assist us to design better campus-wide health promotion efforts and health and wellness services.

Every three years, Toronto Metropolitan partners with numerous other colleges and universities in Canada to conduct a comprehensive student health assessment.

About NCHA

The ACHA-NCHA II is an online survey examining students’ behaviours, perceptions, and habits about a variety of health and wellness topics. This survey is administered by the American College Health Association (ACHA).

  1. Health, health education, and safety.
  2. Alcohol, tobacco, and drugs.
  3. Sex behavior, perceptions, and contraception.
  4. Weight, nutrition, and exercise.
  5. Mental and physical health.
  6. Impediments to academic performance.
  7. Demographics.

As a unit, we are always looking for the most efficient and effective ways to serve our students. Collection and monitoring of reliable student data is necessary to inform our health promotion decisions. Hearing from our student community will enable us to understand, first hand, the significant health priorities of this population and assist us to design better campus-wide health promotion efforts and health & wellness services.

Ethics approval was required and granted by Toronto Metropolitan's Research Ethics Board.

March 2016.

The response proportion was 18.9% (n=691). This sample size is large enough to generate significant insights within a 95% confidence interval and a +/-4 margin of error.

5,000 Toronto Metropolitan students were randomly selected to participate in the assessment. The sole selection criterion is that student participants must be over the age of 18. Random selection allows for a sample that represents the different nationalities, genders, ages, academic levels, cultures, and family status that exists within Toronto Metropolitan.

Yes. In Spring 2016, for the first time ever, 41 institutions participated in a Canada-wide effort to gather student health data using the ACHA-NCHA II.

Health Promotion Programs Coordinator
416-979-5000 ext. 4295
healthpromotion@torontomu.ca.

41 Canadian postsecondary institutions chose to participate in the Spring 2016 ACHA National College Health Assessment. In total, 43,780 surveys were completed across Canada. A reference group was created out of Canadian institutions that employed random sampling techniques and agreed to have their data included. The mean response rate within this group was 19% and the median was 19%.

How Health Promotion uses the data 

The results of the assessment have helped the Health Promotions Department to:

  • Identify the most common health and behavior risks affecting students' academic performance.
  • Design evidence-based health promotion programs with targeted educational and environmental initiatives.
  • Create social norms marketing campaigns by comparing students' actual behaviors to their perceptions about peer behavior.
  • Provide needs assessment data for campus and community task forces on various health topics, such as mental health, physical health, etc.
  • Have readily available graphs and data for policy discussions and presentations with faculty, staff, administration, and board members.
  • Impact the campus culture by opening a dialogue about health with students and staff.
  • We are happy to share data about particular health issues or sub-populations in academic classes, faculty meetings, student organization meetings, or other forums.

How Toronto Metropolitan Community Members are Using the Data

  • The mental health findings from the NCHA are informing the work that the Ryerson Mental Health Advisory committee is doing in creating a mental health strategy for the campus.
  • Ryersonian journalists have used the data in their newspaper articles and TV newscasts.

Who can Access the Data

We are happy to share data about particular health issues or sub-populations in academic classes, faculty meetings, student organization meetings, or other forums. It is helpful for us to track who used the data and how; as such we request that anyone who we provide it to e-mail a copy of their final product to healthpromotion@torontomu.ca. The data can be used in a variety of ways and below are a few suggestions.

Community Member How to Use Data

Everyone
  • To correct misconceptions about students behaviours
  • To decrease stigma holding discussions and running normalization campaigns about stigmatized health topics such as mental health
  • Share normative data which reflects the culture of wellness at Ryerson and shows where students are practicing healthy behaviours
Students
  • To gain hands-on experience working with and analyzing data.
  • Class projects, papers
  • Primary research data for dissertations
  • Program planning for student groups
  • To support any advocacy work that they are engaged in
  • Several research questions have arisen as a result of the findings that we are eager to further explore. We welcome working with students, faculty, and staff on group projects, theses, dissertations, or other efforts.
  • Develop proposals to secure grant funding to expand or develop programs.
Staff
  • Several research questions have arisen as a result of the findings that we are eager to further explore. We welcome working with students, faculty, and staff on group projects, theses, dissertations, or other efforts.
  • Develop proposals to secure grant funding to expand or develop programs.
Faculty
  • Several research questions have arisen as a result of the findings that we are eager to further explore. We welcome working with students, faculty, and staff on group projects, theses, dissertations, or other efforts.
  • To present in social sciences, health, communications, and research classes.
  • Can use the NCHA data for curriculum infusion and/or student project groups.
  • Develop proposals to secure grant funding to expand or develop programs.
Campus and local Media
  • To gain hands-on experience working with and analyzing data.
  • To cite in articles and editorials.
University Administration and marketing
  • To use in presentations for prospective students and parents and for freshmen orientation.
  • To draw on for promotional materials.